Boarding for glory: John Curtis to compete in USA Snowboarding Association games

April 06, 2009|By Benjamin Gohs Courier Editor

CHARLEVOIX — Tackling Copper Mountain with a broken face?

Though still recuperating from recent injuries including a broken nose, black eyes and a concussion that he sustained while training at Boyne Mountain, Charlevoix veteran snowboarder John Curtis is on his way to compete in the USA Snowboarding Association games in Copper Mountain, Colo.

“I’m excited. It’s a good chance to be seen and make connections in the industry,” Curtis said. “And, I hear Colorado is getting pounded with powder, so I’m definitely excited about free-riding when I’m not competing.”

Curtis began his journey to Copper Mountain Friday, April 3, but his road to national competition has been much longer.

“You have to compete in a regional series. In Northern Michigan we have a Middle Earth Snow Series,” he said. “I did that in open class division and I won everyone besides one.”

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The Middle Earth Series occurred from January through March and consisted of competition at hills including Boyne Mountain, Boyne Mountain, the Otsego Club and Nub’s Nob.

Curtis will compete in the slopestyle event, which consists of a downhill course of rails, boxes and other features upon which he must ride and perform tricks.

“It’s huge,” he said. “There will be like 1,500 competitors of all age groups and probably like 13 or 14 features.”

The competition began Sunday, April 5, and ends Friday, April 10.

Since Curtis has competed in events of similar size, he said it won’t be the course which intimidates him, but the memory of his recent injury.

“Probably the second week of March I was up at Boyne Highlands training, learning new tricks and I hit this jump and over-rotated my spin backflip and just ended up smashing my face into the landing,” he said. “I was wearing a helmet, and that saved my brain, but the gap from takeoff to landing is probably 20 feet and the momentum is what got me.”

Curtis spent 14 days resting following the accident.

“I just have to get back on my board and try to be on top of my game,” he said. “I’m kind of scared, but I’m going to kind of push that out of my mind — it’s kind of an honor to be invited to this stuff, so I need to go out there and forget about it.”

If Curtis places well enough in the competition, he could be invited to the coveted Winter XGames.